Grace that is Greater

I have been doing a series at Lifegroup on grace and unbeknownst to me I experienced real grace up close and personal. But more on that later. Here is my definition of grace: the unmerited favor of God toward man giving him both the power and the will to serve Him.



As I thought about grace for daily living and what it means practically, I thought about two things. The first is that in order to apprehend this grace we need to really understand our powerless state (our weakness)(see II Cor. 12:9). We need to dispel the silly idea that we can do anything to please God. The notion that God is more pleased with us when we have a quiet time, or read our Bible or turn off the TV during a provocative scene is not Biblical. God is not more or less pleased with us by what we do. He is pleased by the condition of our heart - a broken and contrite heart. That brings me to my story. About a week ago Luana was telling me about an issue and I did not understand what she was saying, and I got angry for no reason. I went into my room and to bed. As I lay down I tried to understand why I got mad and could not come up with a single reason. Then it really hit me as I realized that I have a very wicked heart. That stayed with me as I got up the next morning for my quiet time and I spent the morning in confession. The amazing thing is that I then had an incredible day of closeness to Jesus. The lesson for me was that God works mightily in hearts that are broken and yielded to Him.



The second idea is that we apprehend this grace by hard work. That sounds somewhat contradictory to our understanding of grace so let me explain. In I Cor. 15:9-10 Paul explains that he is who he is by the grace of God - but then says that it was effective as he worked harder than all of the rest of the apostles. The key is the motivation. When we work hard to please God we dispense with grace, but when we work hard because we are thankful for what He has done for us realizing that we do not deserve it, then grace flows. Saving grace is free, but sanctifying grace is about discipline and working hand in hand with God (see Phil. 2:12-13). He has given us work to do (Eph.2:10) and will give us the grace abundantly for every good work (II Cor. 9:8).

Lastly I want to point out that the last two parts to the definition are extremely important and are what distinguishes Christianity from religion. Religion (even Christianity as religion) is man's attempt to reach out to God to please Him and to appease Him. Thus it is works based and will never achieve the goal. True Christianity is God reaching out to man in his pitiful sinful state for no reason other than His love for man and providing everything to restore that relationship. Not only does he do that but He also gives us the desire to serve Him and more importantly the power to do it. Desire without power results in Paul's condition in Roman's 7. On the other hand, power without desire results in all sorts of problems.

May God grant us all the ability to appreciate His marvelous grace.

Another Home

It is a sure sign that one is getting old. You can't predict when it will occur, and your not sure you really want it. What is it? An eternal perspective. When we are young we see passages that speak of our longing for our heavenly home and we feel uncomfortable because we really don't. We look forward to getting married, then having kids, watching them grow up, having a career and then to grandkids. There is always something else that keeps our hearts unsatisfied and wanting to experience more. There is nothing particularly wrong with any of this, but it is true for most of us.

Even for myself at the ripe old age of 54, I had so much to live for and to look forward to. But over the past year so much has happened that my attitude has begun to change. With Luana's diagnosis of Alzheimer's, my bypass surgery, my mother's stroke and subsequent confusion, this life has begun to lose it's luster. Now I am not depressed or contemplating suicide and I am continuing to press in and work hard, serving where I am able. All I am saying is that there is a subtle change in my thinking. I really do find myself longing for Christ to return and to set things right. I think more about what heaven is like and I don't worry if I miss out on something this world has to offer.

Now I do not necessarily think that this is bad and in fact it is what we are supposed to do. Paul enjoins us think this way as this is not our true home and we have a better one awaiting us. So that is where I am and if you catch me gazing off with my mind wandering, you will know where to find me.

The eye is the lamp

I have not blogged in a while and I know you all are missing it. Partly it was due to time and partly that I have not had much to say. I know that is hard to believe. Well I am back and hope you like it.
I have been studying Matthew and this morning I was looking at 6:22-24 and the Lord gave me a few insights. The first is that the eye is the lamp. Now that can be taken literally with the eye allowing things into our body - good things such as the beauty of God's creation and the needs of hurting peopleor bad things such as pornography; or it can function figuratively allowing the light of the goodness of God into our souls.
The second thing is to look at the word translated good or clear. Actually the word is haplous which means single. We have two eyes and for us to see singly then both of them have to work together. Otherwise we see double. Likewise our eyes need to be singly focused on Jesus and not drawn to separate masters. We also need to be single in purpose. If our eyes are functioning as one with unity of ourpose and devotion then the rest of our body will follow suit. Our heart will be in love with Jesus, our lips will sing His praise, our mind will study His word and think through His truths, our ears will listen to His voice, our hands will reach out to help others and our feet will be quick to spread the good news.
The last idea is that if our eyes are bad (evil-poneros) then our bodies will be full of darkness. Now the only way for there to be darkness is by the absense of light. We do not let darkness in, and the only way to have darkness is to not allow light to enter. God will not do this to us - we do it to ourselves either by losing focus (double vision), disease (cataracs) or by putting blinders on.
I hope this is helpful to you as you think about letting the light of Christ enter into your body and then allowing it to shine forth. God bless.

Neighborhood

We love our neighborhood. It is in the middle of town and yet it is quiet and secluded. We moved here 24 years ago and not much has changed. Lately there have been some new couples move into the area. So Luana and I thought it would be a good idea to have a Labor Day ice cream get together. We invited everyone in the area and had about 40 people show up. We thought it would be fun to have everyone write on their nametags how long they have lived here. To our surprise, we were the youngsters. We had couples that have been here for 26, 29, 30, 32, 35, 39 and 40 years. Talk about a stable neighborhood. In a day when there is so much mobility, we feel blessed to know all of our neighbors and look out for each other.

Washington - Part 2

If you are tired of looking at spectacular scenery and hearing about the beauty of God's creation then you can skip part two of our trip. Day three we spent floating on the beautiful Skagit River. It was labeled a whitewater trip but because the water level was down the rapids were not bad - only one barely class 3. Nevertheless is was a great trip with beautiful scenery, several bald eagles flying overhead, and virtually no effort needed. The water was a frigid 43 degrees and we all donned wetsuits and we all got in fully - it was really cold - took your breath away. At one stop the younger ones jumped off of a 12 foot cliff into the water. I was not so brave. We arrived back at the outfitter's place to a hot sirloin steak - my first one since my surgery.

The next day we were up early and off hiking again. This time Maria took care of Jayden and Emery Kate while we took Duncan. It was a beautiful hike through old growth forest and along a river for two miles. Then it got challenging as it started up the mountain and continued up for 3 1/2 miles. Unfortunately, due to wildfires in the area and smoke from them the views at the pass were partially obscured.

Our last day was more relaxed as we drove to the Baker Lake resort area and did some picnicking and canoeing. There is an incredible view of Mount Baker from the middle of the lake as it towers over the lake. After that we headed back to the cabins, but as usual I had one more hike in my head. Nobody else would go with me so I went by myself. After a long drive up a mountain, there was a two mile hike to the top of Sauk Mountain. It was tough but the views were to die for. On top was a 360 degree view of the entire area. It was truly one of the most beautiful views I have ever seen. Unfortunately, no one else was able to enjoy it - and my camera battery died right at the top.

All in all it was an amazing trip and I feel very blessed to have been able to do it. I am thankful for my kids and son/daughter-in-laws who all made it very special. Where to next? New Zealand?

Washington - Land of trees

Well we just got back from an amazing family vacation to Washington state and Cascades National park. We took all of the kids, their spouses, our three grandkids and a friend who served us as a nanny. The first amazing thing was to be able to get all of these households and people to get off of workand school to be able to come. We all flew from DFW to Seattle (can you imagine us all at the airport?) and then rented 3 SUVs to drive to Marblemount, WA. We rented 3 cabins at a place called Grace Haven. It is actually owned and operated by believers as a ministry. They were really nice and the cabins were just what we needed. Our porch looked out on old growth forest which is where I sat each morning for my quiet time.

The first day we hiked 3 1/2 miles up to Cascade Pass with all of the kids/grandkids on special backpacks. It was beautiful and then 5 of us went another 2 miles to the Sahole glacier. Overall it was one of the most beautiful hikes I have ever done. The next day we drove across the park and mountain vistas to a little area with some short hikes to mountain lakes which were really pretty. The last one was a 2 mile hike up to Lake Ann which I did with just my four kids. I think it is the only time I have ever hiked with just them by myself. It was a real special time.

The next day we went white water rafting and while the rapids were not bad enough to even get me scared, it was a spectacular trip. The guides were great, the river beautiful with mountains in the background and we spotted several bald eagles flying overhead. It ended with a steak dinner at the outfitter's place. All in all it ws a great day. That is enough for one blog. I will post pics of the first two days. No camera on the float trip.

Happy Birthday Dad!!

So I am sneaking onto Dad's blog just fifteen minutes before his big day: Arthur Wayne Sudan is turning 54!!! In honor of his birthday my siblings and I (due to our involvement in the blog world) are each writing a post to our dad for the world to see. So from here on out this blog is to you, dad...





Some of my favorite memories come from our family hiking trips through the years, which in part is why I am so excited about the Cascades! However, when I think about particular hiking trips one stands out among the others-- the summer after my senior year of highschool when you and I went on a hike by ourselves in Estes Park, Colorado. I don't even know if you will remember this particular part of the hike, but it has always stood out significantly to me...





When we were half way up the mountain we started to see snow on the ground (it was June in Colorado..to be expected) and as we increased in elevation, naturally the snow began to get deeper and cover the ground. I was trying so hard that hike to be tough and rough out whatever conditions came so that you would be so proud of me. I was never one of the better hikers of the family. But at this point in the hike my history of altitude sickness caught up with me and I started to feel sick and a little weak, but I didn't want to show it. The ground floor was completely covered with snow as we progressed on the trail and it was getting waist deep. You had been on this trail several years before and chose it for us because you remembered the breathe-taking lake and view that was the bowl of the mountain. When the snow was getting waist deep you knew that we were so close to the top it wouldnt make sense for us to turn around, so we pushed through. And it is at this point where my memory stands:





You didn't want me to step into a creek or anything that would permit me to fall through the snow, so you found a small enough boulder for me to sit on as you navigated the path to our final destination. And it was from that boulder that God spoke so tenderly to me. He said "Mary Beth, look at your father. This is who I am to you." (I am not sure if that was the first time I heard God, but it was definately one of the first times.) I looked at you, dad, and I saw you moving slowly from the boulder through the trees, further into the distance without ever losing sight of me. And once you had the path laid out you walked back to me, stepping into the same holes you had made so that you could be with me and guide me while I literally stepped in your footsteps so that I wouldn't stumble and fall.





Dad, that trip was such a healing time for us, and I am so so grateful for that opportunity. We got to see God do some amazing things! It was on that trip that you taught me how to use a single lens reflex camera! (which I am obviously thankful for) But I want you to know how much you mean to me. That picture God was showing me was so special because I have an earthly father who loves me in such a beautiful way- rooted from the love you have for our heavenly Father. You support me in so many areas of my life, you speak truth to me, humble me, teach me and most of all you love me. I know you aren't perfect, but you are the best I could ever ask for.





I love you, Dad! Happy Birthday...God is going to do amazing things this year, I hope you can feel it too!!

Marybeth, 445